Allan Harding

Monday, October 8, 2018

What a busy summer it was between work and shooting. I was in Changwon, South Korea for the 52nd ISSF World Championships and just finished getting caught up on work related projects.

Shooting at the World Championships. Jongoh Jin far left would go on to make an epic comeback and defend his World Champion title

The World Championships went well but unfortunately I had ran into some mechanical issues with my Steyr. There was an inconsistency with one of the cylinders and it wasn't shooting as accurate as it should have been. It's not something I had ever looked at or thought could be an issue. Steyr was on-site at the World Championships and they found the problem and made the adjustment and repairs.

I found some time to help out a couple Avengers in Changwon!

My attempt to make a Canadian maple leaf on my toast... looks more like a Batman logo??What do you think? Leave a reply in the comments below.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Just getting caught up after a whirlwind of events, work, and trips... well sort of caught up. ;)

A couple weeks ago I became the 2018 Canadian National Pistol Champion, defending my title and setting a new Canadian Nationals 10m Men's Final record! I also teamed up with 2016 Olympian Lynda Kiejko in the new 10m mixed team event and together we won the National title in the mixed team 10m event!

Today I took home the gold in the men's 10m pistol event and defended my title to become the 2018 Canadian National Pistol Champion! Also took the 2018 10m mixed team National Champion title with Lynda Kiejko @Cdnshootingstar#targetsports#issf ...dedicated to my grandma ❤️ pic.twitter.com/L3d8p90wmt

The competition is going well. Picked up on a couple things I need to work on after having a similar mid-match performance in Guadalajara, Mexico a couple months ago in March. The 3rd and 4th series in the match giving me a bit of trouble then I finish strong. I'll get the middle of the match as consistent as the start and end and it will give my scores a boost.

Mexico went well in March. I shot at that range in 2014 at the Championship of the Americas and went back there this year to work on some of the issues I ran into in 2014. So far this ISSF season has been going well.

Me shooting in Guadalajara at the start of the 2018 ISSF World Cup season in March

Monday, October 30, 2017

October has been a great month! I shot in Cookstown, Ontario a couple weekends ago and shot 1 of the 2 qualification scores I needed to make the 2018 Canadian Team. I also set a new Canadian Men's 10m Finals record with a score of 235.2!

New Canadian Men's 10m pistol record of 235.2!

This past weekend in Calgary, Alberta at the 2017 Western Canadian Airgun Championships I shot my 2nd qualification score with a 567/600! It's been a long road this year shifting focus back to 10m from the last 2 years of 50m focus I'd been doing. This past month things really came together to secure my spot on the team. Focus!

I've got a new target sports program for youth starting up in November at the Sunshine Coast Rod & Gun club and will post updates once that program kicks off. I'm looking forward to helping a new generation of Olympic style shooters get started!

Friday, August 11, 2017

The 2017 Canadian Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun Nationals are all finished and it was a great experience for me. I was able to secure the gold and take the national title in the men's 10m pistol event and took bronze in the 50m pistol event.

This year I'm scaling back on my competition schedule to focus on a few select events. I'm also focusing on both 10m _and_ 50m. I was planning to stay focused on the 50m event but with the possible change in shooting events proposed by the ISSF I'm going to focus on both events.

Monday, August 1, 2016

So much has been happening since my last blog post. Don't get me started on the blog posting frequency! ;) I really should be better at it.

Rio... eventful World Cup. My pistol arrived with a beat up gun case, broken locks, and a grip that was all loose and out of alignment. Lots of learning happened from this event.

Munich... I shot a new personal best at an international competition shooting a 540/600 in the 50m pistol event. This felt awesome. After spending so much time training this year and having it feel like I was on a plateau and then hitting my goal score in Munich. Awesome.

I'm now near Toronto at the Pan Am Games shooting center venue to compete at the 2016 Canadian National Pistol Championships. After not spending a lot of time in the 10m event and shooting a 556/600 today I am pretty happy. Some more work needed here to get back to the 560-570 range but this year has all been about the 50m pistol event for me. Tomorrow I compete again in the 10m event. More updates to come!

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Ok the title is a bit misleading since I've actually been here a few days now. ;) Just getting caught up on things now that I've gotten settled in to Rio and gotten used to where things are, and how the buses to the range are scheduled and where to buy things, food, sim cards, etc.

Welcome to Rio!

Rio is pretty incredible! The Canadian Team is staying at a hotel on Copacabana Beach in Rio and the views are stunning at sunrise until sunset.

Copacabana Beach!

Today, I shot my pre event training at the shooting venue which will be the shooting venue for the 2016 Olympics being held this August here in Rio. Everything felt awesome, the range is great, lighting is great, and there was very little wind. Optimal conditions!

Yesterday I was the guest commentator for the men's 10m pistol Finals which you can watch here:

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

I'm in Hong Kong enjoying a bit of time off after last week's competition in Bangkok, Thailand. I had a great time visiting, competing, and enjoying the hot weather in Bangkok.

The competition was a great experience and one that resulted in some good takeaways to get ready for Rio next month. The toughest part was probably adjusting to the heat and humidity -- I had lots of rain but a lot of cold weather to train in.

I've been posting on other websites and apps also so click the links below to follow me there also:

Saturday, February 13, 2016

We've been having some classic Pacific North West weather lately... lots of rain, and the cold temperature makes it challenging to stay warm. I'm enjoying it anyway... it's a day out at the range! :)

Shooting at the Sunshine Coast Rod & Gun Club

Only a couple weeks until I fly to Bangkok and Hong Kong for the first stage in the 2016 ISSF World Cup Series! Training has been going great except for the temperature. I'm glad however that I can shoot outdoors and that it's not covered in snow.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

The new year is a great time for doing a check-in with yourself to reflect on the previous year and get set for the current year. 2015 was an exciting time being a pre-Olympic year and being able to compete at the Pan Am Games in Toronto Canada and to have also competed in South Korea and Germany.

This new year has gotten off to a great start -- unlike the speed at which I post here.. ;)

I'm a couple weeks into my 2016 training plan after taking the month of December off. I visited family, moved, and have been focused on making sure I'm on the right track going into the 2016 ISSF World Cup season.

Canada has not been able to secure a quota spot in any men's pistol events since 1996! Time to change that!

The last Rio 2016 opportunity to secure a quota spot for Team Canada was at the Pan American Games last Summer. For me, it's all about the next 4 years and I have my sights set on Tokyo 2020!

This year I will be focused on the 50m Olympic style shooting event. It's one of the most difficult precision pistol events going back to the 19th century. Shooting has been an Olympic sport since the 1896 Olympics in Athens! The 50m event has had very few changes over the last century and it's only 1 of 2 shooting events whose targets have never changed -- most targets in other shooting events have been reduced in size over time to make it more difficult.

As a software developer, I'm always looking for ways I can leverage those skills to improve my shooting and currently I've tapped into some video game technology to study my movements, timing, follow through. Here's a sneak peek at what I'm working on: